Sophia
'''Sophia' is a woman who lived 500 years before the events of Xenogears. She is the first Mother of the Nisan Orthodoxy and is the third chronological reincarnation of Elehayym Van Houten that the game portrays. Sophia is but a given title name to her status (much like how the Papacy functions), as her proper birth name was also "Elehayym". Biography Sophia was born as the second daughter of three sisters of the Bishop of the Nisan teaching's "Ashura Monastery". She met Lacan when she was but a child while recovering from illness. Around the time that she was 7 years old, she manifested a rare talent (Ether Ability) and was sent as the adopted daughter to Cardinal Penuel as a future candidate for Holy Mother. At 13, she was chosen, effectively changing her name to "Sophia". However, this was in the midst of battle between factions over the selection of Holy Mother. Fighting among the Church factions was a bloody battle for the choosing of Mother based on heredity within the Church. The Penuel faction also was not immune to this and gradually Sophia would begin to feel responsible for it, bringing upon the desire to take her own life to end the suffering. When the attack on the monastery occurred by Nimrod, Sophia was faced by Karellen, leader of Nimrod's Corps, who was there to kill her. She simply smiled and said "...thank you.", as if he were about to release her burden. Having been taken by her smile, Karellen instead chose to take her away and protect her. For 7 years, Karellen and Sophia were in exile and their whereabouts were unknown. Upon returning to Nisan, Sophia had learned that public interest in Nisan teachings were waning. As a result, she restructured the organization and renamed it the "Nisan Orthodox". During this period, she became reacquainted with Lacan. In 9499, at the urging of Karellen, Lacan began painting Sophia's portrait. Shevat-Solaris War Upon the outbreak of the Shevat-Solaris War, refugees poured into Nisan. With Sophia at the head of the Healing Corps, she became revered as "Holy Mother". After that, when Nisan entered battle, Sophia's will stood as a symbol for the surface-dweller's army. There was a complicated relationship (perhaps a love triangle) between Sophia, Lacan, and Karellen. Sophia and Lacan had unrevealed romantic feelings for each other. Karellen had unrequited feelings for Sophia as well. Due to a secret plot between Shevat and Solaris, the surface-dwelling army was set a trap. In exchange for ending the war and taking Myyah Hawwa prisoner, Solaris wanted Sophia. The Mother Sophia, on the Excalibur; the flagship of the Anti-Solarian Alliance, let out a huge cry, "Lacan! Live!" before crashing the airship into Merkava to save her people. This led Karellen to "commit so many sins" and spurred a regretful Lacan to obsessively seek power, facilitating his transformation to Grahf. Historical background In Gnostic lore, Sophia (Greek Σoφíα, "wisdom"), is the Demiurge’s mother and a partial aspect of the divine Pleroma. She desired to create something apart from the divine totality and without the receipt of divine assent. In this abortive act of separate creation, she gave birth to the monstrous Demiurge and, being ashamed of her deed, she wrapped him in a cloud and created a throne for him within it. The Demiurge, isolated, did not behold his mother, nor anyone else, and thus concluded that only he himself existed, being ignorant of the superior levels of reality that were his birth-place. Thus the demiurge is frequently identified as the Abrahamic God Yahweh. The Gnostic myths describing these events are full of intricate nuances portraying the declination of aspects of the divine into human form: this process occurs through the agency of the Demiurge who, having stolen a portion of power from his mother, sets about a work of creation in unconscious imitation of the superior Pleromatic realm. Thus Sophia’s power becomes enclosed within the material forms of humanity, themselves entrapped within the material universe: the goal of Gnostic movements was typically the awakening of this spark, which permitted a return by the subject to the superior, non-material realities which were its primal source (the Pleroma). Quotes * "You are the sweetest person... You are someone who cannot bear to see others hurt by your own actions. So you hold everything in and bear all the burden. If you get hurt in the end, you think that it is fine... That's... what I like about you." (to Lacan) * "Humans... aren't so frail you know. They don't need a symbol who is just appearances only. I believe that if you have light in your heart, you can overcome any hardship. What I have been doing is simply showing people that such light exists in the hearts of everyone... I'm just a woman. And to fulfill my womanhood I am prepared to throw away everything... even this position. I'm just playing the role of Sophia. But I am still me. I haven't changed... A cowardly, selfish crybaby... I am still the same. Could you live a lie like that and still be happy...? I... don't want to do that. Oh, Lacan... I want to live more honestly with myself... To be able to tell the man that I love that I do love him. And I don't care if I get hurt or rejected. You only have one life. I don't want to turn around later and regret not having done such things..." * "I am ending this... You won't need to fight anymore... So, Karellen... Please open your fist... and with your own hand gently hold the people who will continue to live..." * "People support each other to live... It's what brings us happiness... So share that happiness, and please... Lacan! Live!" * "Of course, once you enter their umbrella of protection... you can avoid absolute death. But is that human life? Even if you are the only one left, if you're devoid of a heart, what does it all mean?" * "To relieve your pain, I'll give however much of my flesh you need. Therefore... don't throw away your dignity as humans... Don't let go of your human heart..." Trivia * Sophia represents the fourth and final phase of anima development. Category:Xenogears characters Category:Female characters Category:Deceased